Novak Djokovic reveals if he’ll play in the French Open this year

Novak Djokovic has spoken about his plans for the French Open following a stretch of tournament withdrawals that had fans questioning his status.

The last time Djokovic was seen on court was at Indian Wells, where he fell to Jack Draper in a tight three-setter. Since then, he’s skipped Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid without playing another match.

There have been reports of him dealing with a shoulder injury since Indian Wells. Now, Djokovic has shared an update on how he’s feeling as Roland-Garros approaches.

Djokovic confirms he’s fit for Roland Garros return

Novak Djokovic may not be taking part in this year’s Madrid Open, but he still made an appearance in the city for the Laureus World Sports Awards.

While walking down the red carpet, Djokovic stopped to speak with Teledeporte and was asked about his current plans and fitness situation.

The Serbian confirmed that he’s still dealing with an injury. He hasn’t played since Indian Wells back in March, having withdrawn from the Monte Carlo Masters, Miami Open and Madrid Open since then.

But Djokovic sounded optimistic about being fit to play at Roland Garros later this month.

“I have an injury. I hope to be ready at least for Roland Garros,” said Djokovic. “I’m working to get to Rome, but I can’t make a prediction now because it depends on the progress of the injury. At least for Roland Garros, I’m ready.”

The Serbian has reached just one final so far this season when he lost to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open in January.

Djokovic’s ranking could take a hit if he skips Italian Open

Djokovic seems fairly confident he’ll be ready for Roland Garros, but skipping the Italian Open could still cause him some problems.

Currently ranked world number four, Djokovic has the benefit of not facing either Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner until the semi-finals. But that position isn’t entirely secure.

The 38-year-old is at risk of falling down in the rankings, particularly if Djokovic does not play at the Italian Open.

While he has only 10 ranking points to defend until French Open seeding, both Felix Auger-Aliassime and Ben Shelton are close behind.

Shelton recently won the title in Munich and now sits just 640 points back, with only 60 points to defend over that same period. Auger-Aliassime, who has only 10 points to defend and is a former finalist in Madrid, could leapfrog Djokovic if he reaches the final again this year.

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